BEING a priest who can't kneel is not going to keep the Rev Maureen Read out of her beloved St Margaret's Church.

The 52-year-old went under the knife to have a full knee replacement, making her one of the youngest in Heywood to have such an operation.

But, although taking things easy at the moment, she said she is already sick of day-time telly and is planning to be back at the altar by early next year.

She said: "Having this operation has meant that I will never be able to kneel again, which some might find a bit unusual for a priest. But I hope it will highlight the fact it doesn't matter whether you kneel down to pray or not - God will love you all the same."

Maureen's operation, which took place in Trafford General the day after Remembrance Sunday, involved inserting a stainless steel kneecap as a replacement for her real one, which was removed 25 years ago.

She said: "Before becoming a priest I was a PE teacher and, along with my two sisters, also played hockey for the Manchester Women's team. I had a reputation as being a tough nut on the field and after one match I ended up with a dislocated knee, which needed to be operated on."

After the successful operation, which involved surgeons removing Maureen's kneecap, she led a normal life until five years ago, just before joining the Heywood parish, when she was in a car crash.

The pain got so bad towards the end of last year that doctors at Fairfield agreed her best chance would be for a full knee replacement, a procedure which is relatively common for older folk, but rare for someone Maureen's age.

She said: "I was told that the replacement had a life of about 15 years, which is the reason that most surgeons don't think it's a good idea for someone in their early 50s as it will only last until I'm about 67.

"But the consultants agreed that I was in so much pain that the operation would result in a better quality of life for me."

Now convalescing at her home on Heys Lane, Maureen is hoping to be back at work by February.

But that doesn't mean she will have to wait until then to see her congregation.

She added: "All the parishioners and everyone at St Margaret's have been amazing and I can't thank them enough for their support."